Military

Reconstruction begins where, for most Americans, the story of the Civil War ends: The North is victorious and slavery is abolished. But what happened next was one of the most important decades in American history, a moment when our country grappled with its original sin and imagined — and briefly enacted — a more perfect union.

**THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER** ‘[Nichol] has a marvellous eye for detail . . . this is history at its finest. Truly memorable' Daily Mirror The Second World War was not only fought in the skies above Europe or on distant beaches. Between 1939 and 1945, Hitler’s aerial onslaught crashed into...

Adolf Hitler has taken a long time to die, despite the lethal efficiency of the gun he put to his head in April 1945. Although eagerly anticipated around the world, there were no available witnesses to his suicide—and his corpse was not put on display. This created the perfect vacuum for myth and survival legends, while rival intelligence agencies and propaganda further confounded the investigations of successive historians.

Bloomsbury presents 1942: Hitler's Gamble for Victory by Richard Hargreaves, read by Charles Armstrong A unique history of the Axis powers attempt to win the Second World War in 1942, told through the eyes of those who were there. Drawing upon sources in German, Russian, Italian, Hungarian...

With the world in turmoil there is is considerable global interest in the record of military commanders in various countries throughout the ages. But what made them successful? And why have they become military legends? How much is it to do with their strategic abilities, leadership qualities or...

Bloomsbury presents Lords of the Salt Road by Angus Konstam, read by David Monteath. The story of the Norse Earls of Orkney, whose lands once covered much of Scotland, and whose reach extended as far as Scandinavia, continental Europe and even the Mediterranean. Lords of the Salt Road reveals...

The year opened with the Axis powers inflicting a series of disasters on the newly formed Allies: Pearl Harbor, followed by Japan's conquest of the Philippines and Southeast Asia; Rommel running unchecked in North Africa; devastating defeats of the Red Army at Kharkov, Crimea, and southern...

Unidentified Submerged Objects have long existed on the margins of UAP/UFO research, mentioned in passing and rarely examined in depth. Yet the historical record tells a different story. Reports of anomalous craft operating within Earth’s oceans, lakes, and rivers are widespread, persistent, and often difficult to dismiss. In this second volume of A History of USOs, historian Richard Dolan presents a detailed investigation of global cases from 1970 to 1989, a period marked by a rise in both the frequency and intensity of encounters.

Why do some leaders maintain their power through every crisis while others fall at the first sign of conflict? In The Art of War, Niccolò Machiavelli reveals that the secret to lasting success lies in the cultivation of a disciplined citizenry. Structured as a dialogue between a seasoned commander and young aristocrats, this work critiques the reliance on mercenaries and advocates for a return to the strategic ideals of Rome. Unlike The Prince, this text focuses on the practical and philosophical organization required for a society to survive and thrive.

Brought to you by Penguin. THE ACTION-PACKED STORY OF THE WWII GROUP THAT BECAME OUR SAS, FROM ONE OF THE UK'S MOST STORIED SPECIAL FORCES OPERATORS War came to North Africa in June 1940. But it would be another year and half before a newly-formed SAS went into action for the first time. Until...

The French Revolution has fascinated, perplexed, and inspired for more than two centuries. It was a seismic event that radically transformed France and launched shock waves across the world. In this provocative new history, Peter McPhee draws on a lifetime's study of eighteenth-century France...

This is not a story about war. It is a story about what it takes to survive it—before, during, and long after. When your earliest memories are shaped by fear, violence, and the absence of protection, something changes. For Steve Brown, that change came early. Growing up in a chaotic environment, he learned quickly that no one was coming to help—and that if he wanted safety, he would have to become it. After a troubled adolescence marked by crime and poor choices, a second chance led him to the British Army.

How did a remote desert people change the course of world history? In the seventh century AD, the Eastern Roman Empire collapsed—defeated by the rising power of Arabia. How did this happen? And why then? In this gripping new history, Nick Holmes offers a fresh view of the end of the Ancient...

Winston Churchill was born in a palace and was given a funeral worthy of a king. His family had enjoyed an intimate association with the British monarchy stretching back centuries. As King Edward VIII said of him, "I have never met anyone of royal blood who exemplified in such high degree the...

"With impressive scholarly sleuthing and a storyteller's eloquence, Danielle Allen has written a landmark book about the people and the ideas that changed the world. By bringing the glamorous Duke of Richmond back to life, Allen paints a panoramic portrait of how principles of human equality and...

Bloomsbury presents Admiral Collingwood by Max Adams, read by James Lailey. Admiral Lord Collingwood, the eldest son of a Newcastle merchant, went to sea in 1761 at the age of thirteen. In his nearly fifty years in the Navy he rose to become a fine seaman, a master of gunnery, a battle commander...

From the pre-eminent WWII historian, an ardent chronicle of the unprecedented and far-sighted U.S. postwar decision to aid its enemies as well as its allies via the Marshall Plan, which led to eight decades of peace and prosperity in the West that could be upended in an “America First”...

'The entire span of British submarine history has been carefully recorded here: the tragedies in both peace and war … the successes too.' — Geoffrey Moorhouse, Daily Telegraph

Bloomsbury presents Into the Firestorm by Scott McGaugh, read by Jeff Harding From the hellish skies over Europe to the unforgiving terrain of the Himalayas, this is the first complete history of the C-47 aircrew who helped turn the tide of war. One of the most perilous combat roles of World War...

In the year 1927 Charles Lindbergh flew the Spirit of St. Louis nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean Henry Ford revealed Ford’s newest vehicle, the Model A , and Ray Oehrtmann was born to Frederick and Mary Oehrtmann in Lafayette, Indiana, the youngest of five children. Little did his parents know that they would experience the Great Depression, that Ray and his brother, Bob, would fight in a World War, and that Ray would move to Colorado, where he eventually worked on machining parts for the United States space station, Skylab.

“Pancho Villa,” people whispered at the beginning of the 20th century, "can march 100 miles without stopping, live 100 days without food, go 100 nights without sleep, and kill 100 men without remorse." The legend of Francisco Villa is full of heroism, tragedy and romance, a story about how a poor farmer boy became a bandit after avenging an injustice on his family and transformed into a military genius who fled from an oppressive government to lead the largest revolutionary army in his country's history.

Bloomsbury presents The Code of the Warrior: Exploring Warrior Values Past and Present by Shannon E. French, read by Patricia Rodriguez. Combining ethics, history, and psychology, this book examines historical and contemporary warrior cultures, arguing that today’s warriors need a code to...

There are periods in history when the character of warfare alters so profoundly that those living through it only partially understand what is happening. The change does not come as a single moment of recognition, but as a gradual shift in practice, driven by necessity rather than design. Methods that once seemed sufficient begin to show their limits. Assumptions that guided earlier conflicts become unreliable. In their place, new approaches emerge, often quietly at first, shaped not by theory alone but by the pressing demands of reality. The Second World War was one such period.

Bloomsbury presents Teutoburg Forest AD 9: The destruction of Varus and his legions by Michael McNally, read by Cliff Chapman The story of the famous battle of the Teutoburg Forest, the most complete defeat of the Roman Army in the west, which saw the destruction of three Roman legions by...

The Sceptic Isle provides a bold reassessment of how the British government sold the Second World War to the British public. It powerfully showcases the major credibility gap that cast a long shadow over the British government's efforts to sell the different dimensions of the Second World War to the home front.